Category: business

Think Differently Apple!

Posted on by scott.hodges

In January of 2018, JANA Partners LLC and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, which collectively own about $2 billion in value of shares of Apple Inc., wrote an open letter to the technology giant. As they wrote, “As shareholders, we recognize your unique role in the history of innovation and the fact that Apple is one of the most valuable brand names in the world.” In the letter, they urge Apple “to offer parents more choices and tools to help them ensure that young consumers are using your products in an optimal manner. “

They cited the growing body of evidence that shows the consequences of technology for children. Such research includes:

* “67% of the over 2,300 teachers surveyed observed that the number of students who are negatively distracted by digital technologies in the classroom is growing and 75% say students’ ability to focus on educational tasks has decreased.”

*  “8th graders who are heavy users of social media have a 27% higher risk of depression.”

* “A study by UCLA researchers showed that after 5 days at a device-free outdoor camp, children performed far better on tests for empathy than a control group.”

JANA Partners and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System, in the letter in the site called Think Differently About Kids, offered a number of suggestions for Apple.  Apple issued a statement saying, “We think deeply about how our products are used and the impact they have on users and the people around them. We take this responsibility very seriously and we are committed to meeting and exceeding our customers’ expectations, especially when it comes to protecting kids.”

Bitcoin Miners Turns Their Sights to Norway and Sweden

Posted on by scott.hodges

Interestingly, those looking for low commercial power prices for bitcoin and ethereum are starting to set their sights on Sweden and Norway. Their power prices are significantly lower than Iceland’s and than European prices. for Sweden’s Vattenfall and Norway’s Statkraft this is very good news.

Iceland has been Europe’s most popular location for miners of digital currencies such as bitcoin and ethereum. Bitcoin miners use approximately 130 terawatt hours of energy a year. As Olivier Roussy Newton, the director and co-founder of Canadian group HIVE Blockchain Technologies (HIVE.V), said, “We’re on a global hunt to secure as much power as we can,” and they started mining ethereum this past January in Sweden.

Read more about these fascinating developments.

 

 

 

A Women-Only Island: A Good Business Model?

Posted on by scott.hodges
Niche marketing has always been around but it’s interesting to see just how niche some people make it. Entrepreneur Kristina Roth has created SuperShe Island, a private retreat off of the coast of Finland. And the twist? It’s an island retreat only for women.
The island sleeps 10 in four luxury cabins and offers wellness activities and times to bond with other women. Roth used to be the CEO of a consultancy business and as she explains,
“I really lived in, worked, lived, breathed in a men-dominated world. When I really started to travel more the last couple of years […] I just met a lot of amazing women around the world.”
People shouldn’t get too excited about joining, however, since it’s an invite-only type of arrangement. And this has certainly sent some people into a tizzy. As Ruth Pearson told CNN Travel, “The retreat being a female-only space doesn’t make it inherently feminist. It is a space created by a rich, white woman for other women like her.” Pearson continued, “These factors will disproportionately affect people of color, people with disabilities, trans women and those who are gender non-conforming, meaning this island is only for one very narrow type of woman.”
Starting in June, she plans to have her first test group on the island and then she hopes to open for business in July.

Good News for Consumer Spending

Posted on by scott.hodges

Good news for the consumer goods industry. Mastercard Inc has reported that shoppers spent over $800 billion during the season. Their report cites sales in stores and online between November 1 and December 24 as having risen 4.9%. This is the fastest year-on-year pace of increase since 2011.

This is certainly good news since most U.S. retailers have found that their sales are tumbling due to online stores like Amazon. Read all the details to learn more.

Meredith Corp. to Buy Time Inc.

Posted on by scott.hodges

The U.S. media company Meredith Corp it will be buying Time Inc. for a $1.84 billion all-cash deal. When this deal goes through, the Meredith and Time brands will then have a readership of 135 million people and a paid circulation that comes close to 60 million. Meredith is expecting the deal to go through within the first three months of 2018.

In announcing the deal, the company said that it “underscores a strong belief in Meredith’s strength as a business operator, its strategies, and its ability to unlock significant value from the Time acquisition.”

 Meredith Chief Executive Stephen Lacy said “We are adding the rich content-creation capabilities of some of the media industry’s strongest national brands to a powerful local television business that is generating record earnings, offering advertisers and marketers unparalleled reach to American adults.”

 

West Lake Landfill

Posted on by scott.hodges

All landfills are different.  They are monitored differently and cannot be treated the same.

Take for example the West Lake Landfill.  Given that this particular landfill is one of the country’s “most monitored sites of its type,” the EPA have concluded that the best way to deal with remediation there is via a permanent cap at the site, as opposed to moving the landfill which will actually be “more dangerous to local communities than leaving it where it is.”

What should also be understood is that landfills were originally created as a solution to the fact that people were causing great harm to their areas by just dumping waste without any consideration for the public’s safety.  In addition, landfills such as West Lake Landfill (and it is important to remember all landfills must be assessed independently as no two are the same) are able to protect the ecosystem by containing waste that pose a hazard to the environment.

Financially, moving the West Lake Landfill is not good either. The cost of excavation would be over $600 million and at taxpayer expense.

Therefore, when looking at landfills, it is imperative to realize that each case must be regarded as a separate entity since there is just no “one size fits all solution when dealing with these types of sites containing our country’s legacy waste.”

 

Lucky iPhone 8 in China?

Posted on by scott.hodges

Apple Inc. is excited to be launching its iPhone 8 in China – but the Chines public isn’t jumping for joy. That’s because it has a price tag of as much as $1000 attached to it – and that’s about double the average Chinese monthly salary. The iPhone has slipped to the fifth position in China behind many other offerings, and Apple is trying to get its footing back.

Greater China did, however, account for about 18% of iPhone sales in the quarter that ended in July. This makes it the top market after the US and Europe but those sales have been declining and are now down 10% from a year earlier.

Time will tell if the Chinese will get behind the new phone or if it will be left in the dust.

 

Zalando Might Be Opening Stores

Posted on by Scott Hodges

If you’re a fan of the online fashion retailer Zalando, you may be able to shop with them in person soon. That’s because they are thinking about opening stores in major cities. As the co-chief executive Rubin Ritter told Germany’s Manager Magazin,
 “We have proper fans in the metropolises who spend much time with us and order a lot. It could be interesting for them to also experience the brand offline.”
Zalando has grown rapidly since it was founded in Berlin in 2008 and has become one of Berlin’s biggest employers. 


800 Losing Job with Caterpillar Inc.

Posted on by Scott Hodges


800 employees of Caterpillar Inc. are going to lose their jobs soon when the Aurora, Illinois plant closes. As Lisa Miller, the Caterpillar spokeswoman explained to Reuters,
“Out of about 800 production positions, about 500 positions would likely be added to Decatur and about 150 positions would be added in North Little Rock.”
This is only a small piece of the slashes that the company has had to take with the economy as it is. They have slashed over 16,000 jobs and they have said as recently as January that they are thinking of closing two major production facilities, one of which is in Aurora.
See more details and the full article.

Credit Card Wars

Posted on by Scott Hodges

Credit card companies are facing off in a potential war to try to keep their customers – and to keep them happy. American Express Co. will be offering $200 a year in Uber rides to their customers, along with other perks, on their Platinum charge cards. They are hoping to keep their high-end customers happy and keep them away from JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc.

Other perks will include access to airport lounges, special dining and entertainment choices and more. The charge rate will be raised from $450 to $550 starting March 30.

JPMorgan started off this card war when they introduced their $450 a year Chase Sapphire Reserve card with a sign-up bonus that was worth as much as $1500. It also includes $300 in annual travel credits and high credits for spending. They bank even switched to making these cards out of metal so they have a heavier and more significant feel to them.

Interestingly, the card war has helped out sites like NerdWallet.com and ThePointsGuy.com wich compare card costs and help consumers to know where the best benefits are to be found.